Isaiah 40 · Verse 9

Isaiah 40:9

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isaiah 40:9, King James Version

Isaiah 40:9 in other translations

BSBGo up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
WEBYou who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, your God!”
ASVO thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!
YLTOn a high mountain get thee up, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up with power thy voice, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, fear not, say to cities of Judah, ‘Lo, your God.'
DARBYO Zion, that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into a high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
BBEYou who give good news to Zion, get up into the high mountain; you who give good news to Jerusalem, let your voice be strong; let it be sounding without fear; say to the towns of Judah, See, your God!
WebsterO Zion, that bringest good tidings, go up upon the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

What does Isaiah 40:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. Rather, "Oh, thou that bringest good things to Zion; thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem." "Thou" is thus the collective personification of the messengers who announce God's gracious purpose to Zion (see on Is 40:1); Is 52:7 confirms this [Vulgate and Gesenius]. If English Version be retained, the sense will be the glad message was first to be proclaimed to Jerusalem, and then from it as the center to all "Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth" (Lu 24:47, 49; Ac 1:8) [Vitringa and Hengstenberg]. mountain--It was customary for those who were about to promulgate any great thing, to ascend a hill from which they could be seen and heard by all (Jud 9:7; Mt 5:1). be not afraid--to announce to the exiles that their coming return home is attended with danger in the midst of the Babylonians. The gospel minister must "open his mouth boldly" (Pr 29:25; Ep 6:19). Behold--especially at His second coming (Zec 12:10; 14:5).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings "O daughter, that bringest glad tidings to Zion" - That the true construction of the sentence is this, which makes Zion the receiver, not the publisher, of the glad tidings, which latter has been the most prevailing interpretation, will, I think, very clearly appear, if we rightly consider the image itself, and the custom and common practice from which it is taken. I have added the word daughter to express the feminine gender of the Hebrew participle, which I know not how to do otherwise in our language; and this is absolutely necessary in order to ascertain the image. For the office of announcing and celebrating such glad tidings as are here spoken of, belongs peculiarly to the women. On occasion of any great public success, a signal victory, or any other joyful event, it was usual for the women to gather together, and with music, dances, and songs, to publish and celebrate the happy news. Thus after the passage of the Red Sea, Miriam, and all the women, with timbrels in their hands, formed a chorus, and joined the men in their triumphant song, dancing, and throwing in alternately the refrain or burden of the song: - "Sing ye to Jehovah, for he is greatly exalted; The horse and his rider hath he cast into the sea." Exo 15:20, Exo 15:21. So Jephthah's daughter collected a chorus or virgins, and with dances and songs came out to meet her father, and to celebrate his victory, Jdg 11:34. After David's conquest of Goliath, "all the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music;" and, forming themselves into two choruses, they sang alternately: - "Saul has slain his thousands: And David his ten thousands." 1Sam 18:6, 1Sam 18:7. And this gives us the true sense of a passage in the sixty-eighth Psalm, which has frequently been misunderstood: - "Jehovah gave the word, (that is, the joyful news), The women, who published the glad tidings, were a great company; The kings of mighty armies did flee, did flee: And even the matron, who stayed at home, shared the spoil." The word signifying the publishers of glad tidings is the same, and expressed in the same form by the feminine participle, as in this place, and the last distich is the song which they sang. So in this place, Jehovah having given the word by his prophet, the joyful tidings of the restoration of Zion, and of God's returning to Jerusalem, (see Isa 52:8), the women are exhorted by the prophet to publish the joyful news with a loud voice from eminences, whence they might best be heard all over the country; and the matter and burden of their song was to be, "Behold your God!" See on Psa 68:11 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 40:1-11

The preaching of the gospel, and glad tidings of the coming of Christ. (Is. 40:1-11) The almighty power of God. (Is. 40:12-17) The folly of idolatry. (Is. 40:18-26) Against unbelief. (Is. 40:27-31) Verses 1-11 All human life is a warfare; the Christian life is the most so; but the struggle will not last always. Troubles are removed in love, when sin is pardoned. In the great atonement of the death of Christ, the…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 40:1-11 →

Isaiah 40:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

עַ֣ל'alonH5921
הַר\־har-a mountainH2022
גָּבֹ֤הַga.Vo.hahighH1364
עֲלִי\־'a.li-go upH5927
לָךְ֙loKh<for> yourself
מְבַשֶּׂ֣רֶתme.va.Se.retO bearer of news ofH1319
צִיּ֔וֹןtzi.YonZionH6726
הָרִ֤ימִיha.Ri.milift upH7311
בַכֹּ֙חַ֙va.Ko.achwith <the> strengthH3581
קוֹלֵ֔ךְko.Lekhvoice yourH6963
מְבַשֶּׂ֖רֶתme.va.Se.retO bearer of news ofH1319
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םye.ru.sha.LimJerusalemH3389
הָרִ֙ימִי֙ha.Ri.milift [it] upH7311
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּירָ֔אִיti.Ra.'iyou be afraidH3372
אִמְרִי֙'im.RisayH559
לְעָרֵ֣יle.'a.Reito [the] cities ofH5892
יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
הִנֵּ֖הhi.Nehhere!H2009
אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם\׃'e.lo.hei.KhemGod yourH430

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 40:9

  • Isaiah 52:7-8

    How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

  • Ephesians 6:19

    And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

  • Isaiah 12:2

    Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

  • Isaiah 25:9

    And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

  • Isaiah 61:1

    The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

  • Acts 2:14

    But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

  • 1 Peter 3:14

    But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

  • Acts 4:13

    Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

  • Romans 10:18

    But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

  • 1 Timothy 3:16

    And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

  • Acts 5:41-42

    And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

  • Isaiah 35:3-4

    Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
O Zion, that bringest good tidings. or, O thou that tellestgood tidings to Zion.
41:27; 52:7; Ezr 1:1,2; Lu 24:47; Ro 10:18
get.
Jud 9:7; 1Sa 26:13,14; 2Ch 13:4
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. or, O thou thattellest good tidings to Jerusalem. lift up.
52:8; 58:4; Jer 22:20; Ac 2:14
be not.
35:3,4; 51:7,12; Ac 4:13,29; 5:41,42; Eph 6:19; Php 1:28,29
1Pe 3:14
Behold.
12:2; 25:9; 1Ti 3:16; 1Jo 5:20,21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 40:8

    The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

  • Isaiah 40:9

    O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

  • Isaiah 40:10

    Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Read all of Isaiah 40

Isaiah 40:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Súbete sobre un monte alto, anunciadora de Sión; levanta fuertemente tu voz, anunciadora de Jerusalem; levántala, no temas; di á las ciudades de Judá: ¡Veis aquí el Dios vuestro!
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Sion, messagère de bonnes nouvelles, monte sur une haute montagne; élève ta voix avec force, Jérusalem, messagère de bonnes nouvelles: élève-la, ne crains point; dis aux villes de Juda: Voici votre Dieu!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Auf einen hohen Berg steige hinauf, Zion, du Verkündigerin froher Botschaft; erhebe mit Macht deine Stimme, Jerusalem, du Verkündigerin froher Botschaft! Erhebe sie, fürchte dich nicht; sprich zu den Städten Judas:
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Super montem excelsum ascende, tu qui evangelizas Sion; exalta in fortitudine vocem tuam, qui evangelizas Jerusalem: exalta, noli timere. Dic civitatibus Juda: Ecce Deus vester: